JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women

What JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women does

JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women is a privately capitalized philanthropic grant and investment fund established in December 2021 by Judee von Seldeneck, founder and chair of Diversified Search Group. The fund deploys an initial $2 million endowment ($1.5 million for grants, $500,000 for investments) through two distinct mechanisms: JVS Grants, which provide $25,000 to $50,000 awards to women-owned and led businesses in Greater Philadelphia, and JVS Investments, which target technology-focused ventures and are managed by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Grant selection is overseen directly by Ms. Von Seldeneck and an Advisory Committee of accomplished women leaders, with monthly reviews and quarterly award cycles.

The fund's service offering extends beyond capital to include advisory and consulting services from the Advisory Committee and access to a Corporate Partners Network of companies committed to providing services to funded businesses. Grant applicants are required to submit applications via the GUST.com platform and, if invited, present a 10-minute pitch to the Advisory Committee. Eligibility requires majority woman-ownership, an IRS EIN, headquarters within the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region, a minimum of two years in business, at least $200,000 in annual gross revenue, and a team of at least two full-time staff.

The fund operates as a non-equity-taking philanthropic vehicle — von Seldeneck does not take equity stakes in funded companies — and has awarded more than $1.4 million to 23 women-owned businesses across five funding rounds since inception. The economic model is capital deployment from a fixed endowment rather than revenue generation; the fund has no disclosed fee income, carried interest, or revenue streams, and its primary operating counterpart is Ben Franklin Technology Partners, which provides administrative support and programmatic advice.

Name

JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women

Legal name

JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women

Website

https://jvsphilafund.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women is a privately capitalized philanthropic fund founded in 2021 that awards $25,000-$50,000 grants and equity-free investments to women-owned growth-stage businesses headquartered in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Grant Funding

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Women business grants
• Venture capital funding
• Grant funding programs
• Women entrepreneurship support
• Small business grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: The fund provides grants of $25,000 to $50,000 to women-owned and led businesses positioned for their next stage of growth. Grant selection is overseen by Ms. Von Seldeneck and an Advisory Committee of accomplished women leaders. Grant recipients may be eligible for subsequent grant funding based on milestone achievements with a maximum of $50K per organization.
2. Investment Funding: The fund provides investments targeting technology-focused ventures in the region. The JVS Investment process is managed by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA. Eligible companies must satisfy Ben Franklin's investment criteria and processes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women is a private grant and investment fund that deploys capital and coaching to women-owned and led enterprises positioned for their next stage of growth in Greater Philadelphia. It operates through two mechanisms: JVS Grants of $25,000 to $50,000 per award (with applications reviewed by founder Judee von Seldeneck and an Advisory Committee of accomplished women leaders) and JVS Investments targeting technology-focused ventures, managed by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania. The fund also provides advisory/consulting services and access to a Corporate Partners Network of companies offering services to funded businesses.

Product overview

The JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women is a multi-million-dollar grant and investment fund providing capital and coaching to women-owned enterprises with strong growth potential in Greater Philadelphia. The fund operates through two core mechanisms: JVS Grants (awarding $25,000 to $50,000 to women-owned businesses for growth initiatives) and JVS Investments (targeting technology-focused ventures managed by Ben Franklin Technology Partners). The fund also provides advisory and consulting services through an Advisory Committee of accomplished women leaders and offers access to a Corporate Partners Network of companies providing services to funded businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JVS Grants Grant funding targeted to majority woman-owned and led businesses positioned for their next stage of growth in the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Awards range from $25,000 to $50,000, with a $50,000 maximum per organization for subsequent milestone-based funding. Eligible applicants must be legal entities with an EIN, in business for at least two years, with gross revenue of at least $200,000 per year for the last two years and at least two full-time staff. Grant selection is directly overseen by founder Judee von Seldeneck and an Advisory Committee of accomplished women leaders.
• JVS Investments Investment funding targeting technology-focused ventures in the Greater Philadelphia region. The JVS Investment process is managed by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania; eligible companies must satisfy Ben Franklin's investment criteria and processes. Applications are submitted separately to www.sep.benfranklin.org.
• Advisory and Consulting Services

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.4 million+ awarded to 23 women-owned businesses since 2021
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Corporate Partners NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2022A network of companies assembled by the fund that are committed to offering their services to funded companies to ensure their continued success. Members of the Advisory Committee and their respective networks also provide support for companies that receive grants through contributed services.
• Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 December 2021Ben Franklin is the key strategic partner for the JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women. They help structure the Fund, provide administrative support and programmatic advice for the grant funds, and serve as the investment manager for the investment funds. Ben Franklin reviews technology-focused investment applications and manages the $500,000 investment pool. The partnership has supported over 2,000 companies delivering more than $5 billion in economic impact and 32,000 jobs in the Philadelphia region.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Pipeline Angels: Network of angel investors focused on women and non-binary founders, with a membership-driven model that mirrors JVS's community and advisory-led approach to capital deployment.
• Backstage Capital: Venture fund focused on startups led by underrepresented founders including women; aligns with JVS's mission to direct capital toward women-owned growth businesses.
• Female Founders Fund: Venture fund investing exclusively in women-founded businesses across sectors, closely aligned with JVS's gender-lens thesis and growth-stage orientation.
• BBG Ventures: Early-stage venture firm investing in female founders; comparable to JVS's investment sleeve in targeting women-led ventures for growth capital.
• Astia: Global network and investment platform investing in women-led high-growth companies; comparable in combining capital with advisory/network support for female founders.
• Golden Seeds: One of the largest US angel networks dedicated to funding early-stage women-led companies. Most directly comparable to JVS in mission, gender focus and growth-stage funding thesis, though operating nationally rather than regionally.
• The Helm: Venture firm backing female founders of consumer and enterprise software; relevant peer for JVS's technology-focused investment sleeve through Ben Franklin.
• SoGal Ventures: Global venture fund backing diverse, predominantly women and underrepresented founders; relevant peer given JVS's dual grant-plus-equity deployment model.
• Springboard Enterprises: Venture-catalyst platform that accelerates women-led growth companies through expertise, networks and capital—comparable to JVS's grant + advisory value stack.

Broad incumbents

• Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania: Core strategic partner and investment manager for JVS's technology venture sleeve; a much larger regional tech investor and economic-development actor that shares JVS's SEPA geographic focus and serves as the most operationally comparable institution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/jvsphilafund
• Xx.com/JVSPhilaFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jvsphilafund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JVS Philadelphia Fund for Women